Hundreds wed as Thai same-sex marriage law comes into force
hurriyetdailynews.comThailand on Thursday as the kingdom's equal marriage law went into effect, with two high-profile gay actors among the first to do so.In matching beige suits, Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree, 49, who was in tears, and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool, 38, were handed their pink-bordered marriage certificates at a registry office in Bangkok."We fought for it for decades and today is a remarkable day that love is love," said Arm.The milestone sees Thailand become by far the biggest nation in Asia to recognize equal marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal."Today, the rainbow flag is proudly flying over Thailand," Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on X.The new marriage law uses gender-neutral terms in place of "men," "women," "husbands" and "wives," also clearing the way for transgender people to wed, and grants adoption and inheritance rights to all married couples.Dozens of couples dressed in traditional and contemporary wedding outfits trickled into a large hall in a shopping center for a mass LGBT wedding organized by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities.Officials helped the couples fill out marriage forms at rows of tables, an administrative step before they could collect their certificates, with hundreds expected to do so over the course of the day.same sex marriage, legal ,.
